Customer Reviews:
  Yes - another singing Barbie doll.. November 20, 2008
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
My daughter pleaded and pleaded with us to buy the two main Barbie dolls from Barbie Diamond Castle. Seeing as the price finally dropped a bit (and it was her birthday) we relented. Normally we would have insisted on choosing one but as these clevely work as a pair, we purchased both.
The actual barbie doll is of the usual Barbie build quality - pretty good and withstands medium play level. The plastic tiara did snap when our 5 yr old tried to "pull" it out of her hair (thanks to those clear elastic bands trying to keep it in place) and would recommend a little adult supervision for younger children if they wish to restyle the hair. One main complaint: the shoes are a disaster. They will not stay on - pick the doll up and off flies the shoes, every time. They are not the usual slightly rubbery ones, they are hard plastic ones. A little tip: we have popped a small blob of blue tack in each one and squished them down. Much better now!
Her magical transforming dress is pretty and my daughter thought the changing bit is "amazing" - in reality the outer part of the skirt has a drawstring ribbon sewn in a third of the way down, opening at the back with a plastic "pull". So, when you pull on the ribbon at the back, the outer skirt is pulled tight, ballooning the top bit and revealing the glittery underskirt lining. Sounds complicated when written down, but in fact, very simple and I grudgingly admit, reasonably effective.
Now for the "music". She sings two songs from the movie. While she can sing alone, it is fairly obvious it is part of a duet and really works best with her Barbie doll friend. One of her Barbie hands has a little push down button in the palm, when pressed she sings. The idea is that if you own both dolls you can make them hold hands, pressing the buttons simultaneously, and make them sing in harmony and at the correct time. This is a better idea that the last Barbie duo singing dolls where you had to press the buttons on their backs, but still suprisingly tricky. We found it very hit and miss, more often than not only one doll would start singing, and now my daughter puts them on the floor and presses them each herself. The actual sound quality is as average as all the other dolls. Not great but ok: you can hear the words clearly enough and it is a decent volume. Thankfully, there is an off button in the form of a big button that also lights up her necklace. So, if you get out of sync and trying to get both dolls to sing the same song, not too painful to listen to!
So, from an adult's perspective, this is just another barbie doll with a pre-recorded set of 2 tunes and a little light up button, making it very expensive in comparison to other barbies. However, for my 5 yr old who has played and played with them, they are beautiful, sparkly, wonderful singers and her new best friends..
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